Into the Darkness
by Talael
Summary: Lisa and Shelly are hidden in the hills surrounding what looks from the outside to be an almost abandoned village. Little do they know the horrors that await them inside...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any related characters. I do own Lisa & Shelly.

This is my very first fanfic attempt so please R&R be completely and brutally honest with me!

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Chapter One

Crouching low in the dense bushes, they peered out upon the village nestled within the hills. The sparse lights twinkled to them, almost invitingly. The only sign of life they had seen so far was a few black-suited men occasionally crossing the main square and the odd cat stalking along the top of a wall. The majority of the houses looked deserted and decaying, as though anyone who might have once cared for them had abandoned the village long ago.

"I'm telling you, you're completely crazy going there. You've heard the stories about that place." Said a shaky voice into the darkness. "They say that there's ghosts there. Not to mention a witch, and maybe even that the Devil is sitting in the church"

Suddenly a laugh filled the darkness, "Since when have you been afraid of ghosts and witches? Aren't you a little old to believe in crap like that?" Said Lisa, as she turned to her companion. "C'mon Shelly, get a grip for Christ's sake!"

She couldn't see Shelly's face in the darkness but she could hear her let out a breath, like she was trying to shake off all the doubt and worry that was settling on her shoulders.

"How many times have we been through this, huh? I told you there's a ton of gold down in that village and I want it! Why should those inbred freaks keep it?" Lisa spat the words out as she kept looking for the best way to sneak into the place

Shelly's discomfort was not eased by these words but she knew her friend too well to try and dissuade her from her plans. The truth of the matter was, they needed money and they needed it quick. Too many debts to pay off any other way thought Shelly.

"I know you want it, Lise but I swear something ain't right about this place. Think what them guys up the road were telling us 'bout it." Shelly sighed and tried not to think about what would happen if they were caught. "Alright, ghost stories aside, how'd you think people like this ended up with gold in the first place, eh? They certainly didn't get it collecting for charity!"

"Stop trying to jinx us, Jesus, what's the matter with you! Let's just get on with it. Follow me and keep your mouth shut alright?" Lisa snapped back.

She started making her way down through the overgrown vegetation trying to avoid the nettles and suspecting that at the least the stories about the snakes would turn out to be true and hoped that it was one story that Shelly would have forgotten. The branches were clinging to every part of her, almost as though they were trying to stop them going any further towards the lights and the only scrap of humanity in the surrounding hills. On they went, closer and closer to the village. Creeping on through the darkness they approached a broken-down burnt out cottage and took a closer look at what looked like a guard peering out into the wilderness.

"Why they got a bloody guard if it's just a normal village, huh?" Shelly hissed in her ear.

"How should I know? Do I look like I got the answers to everything?" Lisa growled, " Do you really think if I did, we'd be sat here crawling through all this crap in the middle of nowhere?" She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair wearily. "Look, maybe you should stay here, yea? The last thing I need is you freaking out on me and us getting caught!"

Shelly's face was unreadable but Lisa knew that her fright was only out of concern and she appreciated that. God knows we've been through enough together Lisa thought, but I got us into this mess and I need the money to get us out of it again.

"Shells, if there was another way I'd do it, but I gotta pay off the debts somehow and this is the only way to get money - unless you want us to go back to walking the streets again?" She said more softly this time.

Shelly only breathed in slowly and said nothing. Lisa knew that she didn't want to do that again, neither of them did. She also knew that without the money from this haul they'd both be dead as soon as they set foot into any town within 50 miles of them. Their debtors had a lot of influence around here.

She was about to start moving closer into the village when Shelly spoke up. She sounded tired and drained as though this was last thing she was going to say and was fed up of repeating herself.

"What if they catch us and call the cops? You wanna go back to jail again Lise?"

No, that's the last thing I want Lisa thought and I don't even want to think about them calling the cops but all she said was "That ain't gonna happen, trust me."

Finally they moved on, around the very edge of the houses further into the village. They crept closer to what Lisa had assumed to be the main house as it was bigger than the rest and appeared to be one of the only ones with any life in it. That one and the Church had the only lights that they could see piercing the darkness around them. Lisa had a feeling that they were both trying to ignore the feeling of foreboding that was all around them, as they got further in.

Ever so quietly they came to the basement window of the biggest house and Lisa withdrew her knife from her pocket and started scoring the edges of the windowpane. She had learned from years of experience that people never took too much care around here in looking after the up-keep of their houses, which had benefited her in that the windows and doors were always weakened from years of neglect. The putty around the glass came off very easily after scraping it a couple of times and she carefully removed the glass.

"Alright, we're in" She whispered to the dark form beside her. "Stop looking like that Shell, I swear I've never seen you so worried"

Shelly didn't say anything but just nodded and gestured to Lisa to hurry up and get it over with. Lisa lowered herself into the basement of the house and turned back to get Shelly to follow her. Shelly shook her head.

"I'll wait behind that other house, you're quieter without me." She said. Her voice seemed so thin, so quiet that Lisa barely heard her. "I'll be fine, please just hurry. I got a really bad feeling about this place."

Before she could respond Shelly was creeping away into the shadows across the alleyway. Lisa took a deep breath and turned into the darkness of the cellar. They had heard plenty of stories in the neighbouring towns and that was why she'd ended up in a dark, dank cellar beneath some crumbling old house in a practically abandoned village. Aside from the stories of ghosts and evil spirits, they'd also heard that the occupants of this place kept gold in a vault in this very cellar, and that's what I'm doing creeping around here in the middle of the bloody night, Lisa thought. She put the flick knife back in the pocket of her jeans, pushed her dark hair away from her forehead and slowly and silently crept further into the darkness. The musty odour from the damp cellar was thick in her throat as she moved deeper and she tried to ignore the sensible voice in her head (which was usually Shelly) telling her to get out as quick as she could.

The silence was oppressing and it suddenly occurred to Lisa that she could honestly say that she hadn't heard a sound, except their own voices, since they had sat in the hills, not even a bird's call. It was so quiet that she felt like she had gone deaf. Lisa turned her gaze from side to side trying to make out the shapes in the gloom. The only sound in the shadows was her own shaky breath. She didn't even hear the man creeping behind her. Her scream was stifled when he suddenly clasped a hand over her mouth and placed a gleaming, ice-cold blade to her neck.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any related characters. I do own Lisa & Shelly.

Please R&R, please? If anyone does can you let me know what you think of my writing style as well as the story?

xscarlettmoonx: Thanks for reviewing, hope you like this chapter x

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Chapter Two

"Well, what have we here?" The stranger hissed into her ear. She could feel him inhaling her scent as he held her in his strong grasp.

Suddenly the lights flickered on and she could see that the man holding her wasn't the only one in the cellar. A tall, thin man stood before her. His nose was flat against his face and looked like it had been broken several times.

"Pretty little thief isn't she, Flatnose?" The man holding her breathed into her hair.

"Basta, come on, lets get her upstairs. I'm sure Capricorn won't mind you playing your games with her up there instead" The flat-faced man said.

The man with the knife, Basta, dragged Lisa up the rough stone steps into the village square. She tried to kick him in the shins but he pushed her to the floor and grabbed her hair. She felt her scalp tearing as he pulled her kicking and writhing across the square towards the old stone church she and Shelly had seen earlier. Shelly, thought Lisa, Oh God I hope she's ok. She was trying to fight the rising panic as she struggled against the man pulling her, trying not to utter a sound, she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing she was scared.

He yanked Lisa to her feet in front of Church and the other man opened the door pushing her ahead of them. She stopped and tried to push back past the men but Basta grabbed her arm and pulled her into the doorway. She was screaming at him and kicking and trying to hit him with her free hand but he just laughed. The more she struggled the more he seemed to enjoy it but she finally managed to aim a kick right between his legs and the smile faded from his lips. He grasped her leg before she had made contact with his body and he pushed her against the wall.

"Keep on like that sweetheart and I'll slit you open from navel to nose" He growled menacingly pressing the blade into her breast.

Lisa swallowed her fear and panic and allowed Basta to push her through the entranceway into the main building. It was unlike any Church Lisa had ever seen. The walls were all covered in red so it gave the impression of being swallowed into the belly of some huge beast. As she was pushed up the aisle she was looking wildly around for Shelly and could feel her relief as she realised that she wasn't standing at the front.

There was, however, a man, pale as moonlight, standing at the front by the altar. As she was pushed in front of him her relief gave way to the deepest fear she had ever felt for there on the floor in front of the man was Shelly.  
Shelly tried feebly to stir when she heard the sounds of people approaching. She had barely raised her head when Lisa had flung herself down next to her and was trying to stem the bleeding from the wound on Shelly's head.

"They cut me." She gasped out and tried to grab her friend.

Before any other words could be spoken between the two Lisa was pulled away from her and thrown to the floor in front of the pale man.

"Well, two thieves, how very interesting" His words were barely a whisper and yet Lisa couldn't help but to listen to him. "Perhaps I should tell you who I am and then I will show you why you made a very grave mistake in coming into my village" The tension in the church seemed to peak and Lisa knew that like her the others in the Church were listening to every word that the man had said.

"I am Capricorn, and you will regret thinking that you could come in here to rob me"

"Please." Lisa whispered, her voice felt hoarse from the strain she was feeling. "Please, let my friend go, she's got nothing to do with this. You've already hurt her and scared me. We won't come back"

Capricorn's soft laugh filled the Church from the crypt to the highest point in the vaulted ceiling. "Let you go? No, I don't think so. We may have use for a thief like you. I don't think we need two though, do we Basta?" He asked, addressing the man with the knife that was still stood behind her.

She saw Basta's evil smile spread across his face as he approached Shelly. Lisa started to rise to her feet but another man grabbed her roughly. She could see the fear in Shelly's face as Basta raised the knife. Lisa began to scream for them to stop, to let Shelly go but her words fell on deaf ears. She tried to shut out the horror that she knew was coming but still Lisa could not tear her eyes from Shelly's. She could see Shelly trying to back away from Basta, could see her trying to scramble back across the floor.

Basta bent down and looked into Shelly's eyes. She silently pleaded with him to have mercy; to let her go but Shelly could see the hate and the evil in his face. She saw the knife gleam in a shaft of moonlight as Basta stroked her neck with it, almost lovingly. Shelly's eyes were reflected in the blade as Basta plunged it into her neck. She could feel the flesh and muscle tearing under his pressure as he sliced through her throat. The last thing she ever heard was Capricorn's gentle laugh and Lisa's bloodcurdling scream.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The icy coldness of the stone beneath her body stirred her feebly from the darkness of her nightmares. She tried to raise her head, but it felt like a jackhammer was tearing into her skull. As she tried to get her bearings and remember where she was, all the memories came flooding back, the failed burglary, the church, and Him. He was foremost in her memories then, the gentle laughter, the coldness in his face as he looked down upon her, his eyes never leaving hers as they reflected the horror within that church. As she tried to shut out the pain she could hear movement on the stone steps. She turned not even seeing the crypt turned dungeon that she was trapped in. Fear filled her entire body as she heard Basta coming towards her, that raspy, whispering voice calling out, taunting her.

"Well Morning my pretty little thief" Basta whispered as he drew nearer to her cage. "Decided to wake up and join us have you?"

Lisa tried to turn away, so as not to look into that hateful face. He unlocked the cell and slowly knelt beside her. She could smell the mint on his breath and the blood on his hands as he tried to raise her gently from her position on the floor. She could feel his gaze raking in every part of her body, looking into her eyes, longingly. Slowly he stroked her face with his hand, running his fingers over her lips. He moved his mouth towards hers, looking into her eyes, wanting her.

She lashed out at him, attempting to push him away at the same time as trying to scratch and hit every inch of him. Basta seized her around the throat, squeezing harder and harder on her windpipe. She could see the lust in his face then, the sadistic pleasure he was getting from watching her life slip away. She tried to cry out but no sound would come. She could feel her thoughts slipping away, could see the darkness closing in around her. Then, as quickly as he had grabbed her, Basta let go of her throat. He pulled her to her feet and she was doubled up gasping in huge gulps of air, grateful for every breath. She raised herself up and looked Basta full in the face, willing all her pain and hatred onto him, wishing him dead that very moment.

"Stay away from me!" she spat at him.

With a speed that shocked her almost as much as his actions, Basta smacked her full in the face. Her head snapped back and met the solid stone wall with a crack and Lisa felt as though her head was splitting in two. Basta chuckled softly and malevolently.

"I've got some nice little surprises for you Sweetheart" he breathed.  
With that, he pulled her roughly out of the cell door and dragged her across the dungeon. Lisa felt as though all the fight had left her. She couldn t see or think straight. At that moment she realised she didn t even care where he was taking her. Basta grabbed her more firmly by the back of her neck and steered her towards the top of the steps. He pushed her outside to the square in front of the Church. The daylight was blinding compared to the gloom and oppression of the dank crypt. Basta stopped her directly in front of the Church doors. He started to move his fingers slowly into her hair, breathing her in as he did so. He lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered, almost lovingly as he caressed her hair:

"Look up Sweetheart. There s a present for you up there."

Tremulously, Lisa raised her eyes towards the top of the Church tower. She could see the blood slowly trickling down the wall, like a silent stream coming from the corpse strung from the walls. The carrion crows had been feasting well on the body above her.

She screamed as she fell to her knees, crying and pleading with a God that would never answer. The reality that she had been fighting since the moment she had regained consciousness poured into her, flooding to every inch of her being. As she tried to block out the image of the body hanging from the Church, Basta yanked her hair and pulled her to her feet again.

"That's what's waiting for you if you don't behave" hissed Basta in her ear before he pulled her into the Church again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Her eyes flickered open. The darkness was so complete she wasn t sure that her eyes really were open, but as the room slowly came into focus and the blackness faded the memories came flooding back and she realised she was there, in that village. The room was freezing and she could feel the cold creeping up through her body from the stone floor. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom she could make out the stone steps leading upwards. She blinked, hoping to chase away the visions that were clouding her head but she couldn t dispel the images of blood and the sounds of screaming that invaded her mind, playing over and over again. She could still see the inside of the Church; it was burned forever into her memory. She would never forget the hellish nightmare that had played out when Basta had taken her there the second time.

Suddenly, she heard voices above her tearing her away from her personal nightmare, too indistinct to make out but close enough to send a bolt of fear through her heart. She heard the sound of a heavy, metal bolt being drawn back and the door was violently thrown open. The sudden brightness streaming down the stairs into the tiny cellar nearly blinded her. She screwed her eyes up tight telling herself that this was all some hideous dream but try as she might, she couldn t pretend the footsteps thudding heavily on the stairs were anything other than Basta coming for her.

Lisa shrank back against the wall as he came towards her, that sadistic smile still playing on his lips. She tried to cry out as he grabbed her roughly by her hair and dragged her to her feet but she couldn t form any sounds. Terror had gripped every inch of her body and she could barely move, let alone talk. Basta didn t say a word as he pulled her up the stairs and out of the cellar into the main house above. He threw her onto a chair, turned to face her and casually leaned back onto the counter-top.

Lisa looked around the room trying to take it all in. The kitchen was bright and airy compared to the cellar she had woken up in. She could see the living room through an archway to her left but more importantly the door leading to the outside was on her right, behind Basta. There was no sign of anyone else in the house. She remained where Basta had thrown her, too scared to move.

"So, here we are. It's just me and you, my lovely." He smiled superciliously as he looked her up and down. "You're my little bitch now. Capricorn thought I d be the best one to teach you how to behave properly. You ll soon learn with me around."

Lisa didn t respond; she just kept staring into those cold, mocking eyes. Basta stood there staring right back until Lisa wilted under his gaze and looked away.

"What's happened to Shelly?" She asked tremulously not wanting to know the answer but needing to hear it at the same time.

The smile never left Basta's lips as he continued to fix that icy-blue stare on her and said in a low, sarcastic tone "What do you think happened to her? Guess you never saw that much blood before seeing as how you passed out. But you ll get used to it in time; you might end up enjoying it too." He moved towards her and sat on the arm of the chair Lisa had been unceremoniously thrown into and slowly stroked her cheek bringing his lips to her ear. "I liked hearing you scream. I'm gonna enjoy making you scream like that again and again."

Lisa felt her insides freeze as she whipped her head around and looked straight into Basta's eyes. She didn't want to know now, didn't want to hear what she had led her friend into. She wanted to plead with him to let her go but she knew it was pointless. She could feel the tears burning her cheeks as she could no longer hold them back. As she tried desperately to pull away, to get away from what He was going to say, Basta grasped her hair at the nape of her neck holding her with a grip so strong that she couldn t do anything but look straight into those psychotic eyes.

The sickening, evil smile never faded as Basta brushed his lips against Lisa's ear again, almost lovingly, and whispered in a soft voice, "I enjoyed feeding Shelly to my dogs."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Lisa knew now that nothing would ever diminish the sheer terror she felt in her heart. All that she had seen and heard would remain with her until she drew her last breath. Shelly was gone forever, that she knew with certainty. Basta had killed her best friend, her sister, and he had enjoyed every minute of it.

He had left her rooted to the spot in that kitchen. The weight of her guilt, knowing it was because of her that they had ventured to this village in the first place, kept her where she was. Any thoughts of escape had fled from her mind as all she could think of was Shelly and how she had suffered at the hands of the man now upstairs. A man who's house Lisa was now trapped in.

She could hear the dogs barking in the distance and the sound brought her back to herself. Escape was what she needed to think of, a way to get away from this place and Basta who would surely kill her whenever the need took him. She gazed around the kitchen and with one last, quick glance at the doorway through to the rest of the house, hurriedly rose and crept towards the back door, the door to escape and freedom.

She gently lifted the latch on the door and pulled it inwards. She paused, letting the fresh air wash over her and lift her heart. She could almost taste the freedom as she inhaled deeply and felt her spirits soar with thoughts of her impending escape. The sunlight played on the trees close by and a slight breeze caressed her. Lisa looked outside surreptitiously, checking that no one was there to see her, hoping she could run into the dense forest fast enough so that she wouldn t be caught again. She knew this was it, she had to get away. She wouldn t die in this village like Shelly had. Checking again that no one was waiting outside for her she took a deep breath, steadied herself on the doorway and prepared to run.

"You're leaving?" said a small, timid voice behind her.

Lisa jumped and whirled around towards the voice. She stared in disbelief as she realised who she was looking at. It couldn't be, she thought. Yet the only person there in the kitchen with her was Basta. Shock kept her glued to the spot, halfway through the door to life. Basta was staring straight at her. Those startling blue eyes, which were capable of such hatred and malice, now appeared to be looking into her very soul and were filled with longing and compassion.

"I, I was..." She stammered. Still she couldn't move. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Basta's.

He moved towards her, his clear, blue eyes locked with her dark brown ones. He reached up to touch her cheek gently and Lisa felt something stir inside her. A feeling so strong she couldn't resist it. He was looking at her so tenderly and so lovingly that she was drawn to him. She couldn't move. She could feel herself melt into his eyes. Basta moved his other hand behind her head, brushing her hair back from her face as he did so. He brought his lips towards hers as he cupped the back of her head softly. He moved his arm down to her waist and pulled her towards him. She was close enough to drink in every inch of him. His body was taut and lean and his strong arms held her to his chest. He pushed the door back and closed it, gazing into her eyes all the while. Lisa heard the latch snap shut on the door and the noise abruptly woke her from her trance. She shook her head as though to clear it and gasped as Basta pushed her back against the door and put his hands around her throat. His eyes were once again alight with malice and he smirked as he ran his tongue over his lips.

He chuckled softly as he said "You don't really think I'd let you go, do you?"

"But you... The way you looked at me, I thought..."

"Thought what Bitch? That I actually care about you? You're just my little toy." He inhaled deeply and whispered "I'll do anything to keep you here. Now move!"

Basta pushed her towards the archway leading to the staircase and the floor above. Lisa felt despair as deep as the ocean well up inside her. She had fallen for it hook, line and sinker and now there was no way she was getting out of here in one piece. She reluctantly climbed the stairs and Basta directed her to the door on the right. He pushed her into the room and snapped the light on.

"If you're good to me you get to stay in here, if not I'll chain you in the cellar and leave you to fucking rot" he said as he left, slamming the door behind him.

Lisa heard the lock click and sighed deeply as she looked around the room. It would have been pleasant if it wasn't a prison cell, she thought. The large bed looked comfortable enough and everything in the room was tidy and looked almost obsessively clean. There was a second door leading into what she discovered was a bathroom with a sizeable shower in it. There was no window in the bathroom and she soon realised that the windows in the bedroom couldn't be opened as the shutters had been nailed shut from the outside.

She threw herself face down onto the bed and felt weariness overcome her. All that had happened over the past two days swept back into her head and her hopelessness overwhelmed her. She lay there not moving until mercifully her body overtook her emotions and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

For four days Lisa had done nothing but sit in that room. There was nothing to read and no TV to watch, nothing to do but sit and wait. Wait for what she didn t know. She thought at first that Basta would kill her, but now he barely even looked at her and never said a word, he just put a tray of food on the small table by the door and left again. It was always the same food, on the same tray and always at the same time of day. She knew Basta was becoming complacent about her presence there. She was careful never to move when he was due to come into the room and never made eye-contact with him or even raised her head. Sometimes during the past few days she had felt like a corpse. The lack of emotion didn t surprise her. A part of her had died in that village when Shelly did. Nothing would ever feel the same again and Lisa had closed her mind and her heart to it. It was the only way to survive this.

As far as Basta was concerned Lisa may as well have been a corpse. She was alarmed at first by his lack of interest in her, that it was some new game he had invented to make her feel at ease. She thought he would be torturing her, why else would he keep her? But apparently his interest had waned and that suited Lisa well. She had heard him heckling the other women in the village through the boarded up windows and knew she was safe from him. She could continue to play the dead woman and keep the truth from Basta. After all, the last thing she wanted him to know was that her strength and her determination to escape were returning. She knew it would only take another day or two before she was ready to make a run for it. She'd been listening closely through the boards on the window and she knew no-one else lived near Basta, that they only passed by. It didn t surprise her that he never had any visitors, even though the rest of the Black Jackets were killers she didn t think any of them could take as much pleasure in it as Basta did. He was as cold-blooded a killer as Lisa had ever met, and she'd met a fair few of them in her time.

In here she had no way to check the time but she knew when she heard the first footfall on the step that he was bringing her dinner. He would open the door, glance quickly at her, place the tray on the little table and leave again; always making sure the door was locked behind him. The footsteps were at the door now and she heard the key turning. She stared blankly at the wall trying to clear any thoughts from her mind lest she should give herself away.

Basta entered the room and placed the tray on the table same as every one of the days before. Lisa didn't look, she didn t even blink she just went right on staring at that wall. Yet she sensed that something was different today, Basta was lingering by the door whereas he had usually left by now. She could feel his eyes upon her and felt her pulse quickening with fear. She tried to ignore it, to pretend that nothing had changed but her own heart betrayed her. The way he kept on looking at her, she knew he could see something different. Did she look better, stronger or could he read her thoughts and know that she was planning to escape?

He began to move across the room, slowly getting closer. It took all her will and determination not to move, not to look at him. He sat on the edge of the bed and turned the chair towards him, scraping it on the floorboards. Lisa found herself staring straight into the cold, clear gaze of a killer, Shelly's killer. There were no emotions in his face; it was blank, frozen, and dead. Suddenly her cheating heart felt like it had stopped beating and she couldn t help but look down to the floor. Oh, how she hated him! The emotion flooded through her veins like poison. Through her eyelashes she could see him still. His face was suddenly alight with malice, an evil smirk spread on his lips.

"I knew you couldn't keep that act up forever" Basta whispered as he stood up and slid his hand round the back of Lisa's neck and into her hair.

Grabbing a handful of hair at the nape of her neck he snapped her head back so she was looking straight up at him. He started running his knife down the side of her face and across her lips, caressing her with it.

Looking directly into her eyes Lisa felt every inch of her body turn icy cold as he leaned towards her and whispered "Now I get to play".

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I know it's been a long time but hopefully someone out there still wants to read this lol.

I'm going to have trouble with the next chapter as it's very violent so I'm not entirely sure it's suitable to put on this site tbh but I'll have a think on it and if people want it I'll do my best to make it suitable!

Thanks all x


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